Metropolitan State was recognized “Community Organization of the Year by the BDPA—Twin Cities Foundation at its Fifteenth Annual Awards Celebration, Jan. 18. BDPA, formerly, Black Data Processing Associates, is a national organization of IT professionals of color whose mission is to build and support diversity in the IT workforce through training, education pathways, and professional development.
The IT Center of Excellence partners in a number of ways with BDPA—Twin Cities. Metropolitan State University has provided classroom space for eight years in support of BDPA—Twin Cities’ Community Youth Technology Program, which teaches coding and other technology skills to youth from across the region on Saturdays at the Midway site. Metropolitan State is pleased to be a partner with BDPA in creating pathways for under-represented youth to enter IT and STEM careers, and in so doing to support the strategies of the system’s Equity 2030 goals.